10 Comments

  1. sfernandez

    Educating children with disabilities is an important issue within the private Catholic school system since there a limited resources available for them. I found your third strategy by Maag (2009) interesting where teachers spent 35 % of their time working in the classroom and for the remainder were engaged and spent more time for professional learning unlike in the U.S. Also, you stated for the ongoing process of a PLC has three main ideas: focused learning, collaborative culture and collective responsibility, and results orientation. This was an interesting topic and concern for Catholic schools since often students with disabilities are forgotten or left out, but they are important as well and are entitled for an equal opportunity including getting an education.

  2. cthomas10

    I did not even know that resources in the Catholic school for disabled children was a problem. I hear about how expensive it to go to a Catholic school and think that everything is fine and the resources are better. Focused power standards, scheduled collaborative working time, and professional development and shared expertise are good to assist in utilizing the limited resources to serve all our students, especially those with special needs. I think that it is good that you are focused on what can be done to develop the quality of teaching rather than looking for more financial resources.

  3. gperezesquivel

    Monica,

    Your research paper topic was in my mind the most eye opening one. As a catholic high school student I never would’ve thought of why there aren’t any special needs students enrolled at our school. I believe all catholic schools or a select few should focus on creating that type of enrollment. At the same token, what would the cost of tuition fee be on top of all those medical bills if there are any? Are the campuses handicap friendly?

  4. jphillips17

    Monica,

    This seems like it is a issue that catholic schools have overlooked for far to long. I agree with Crystal I never thought about this until you addressed it as a problem because I thought in this day and age all students were receiving assistance. It makes sense now that catholic schools just don’t have the funds. I like all the strategies you talked about but leaves me still with the question how do you fund for special education? Do you only accept the students that fit a certain criteria of special needs?

  5. cclewett

    Monica, after reading your paper, I thought I’d share my own perspective as a general education teacher working with a co-teacher or special education assistant. Many of the special education students I have worked with in 3rd grade and 5th grade needed accommodations such as assessments read orally to them, frequent breaks, reminders to stay on task, extra time on assignments, reduced copying from the board, or reduced assignments. These situations can be handled by a general education teacher, given the right training, mentoring, and organizational skills. Yes, it feels like a three-ring circus at times, but it’s possible, especially when an assistant is able to come to the classroom and help during scheduled times in the day. I can definitely see the cost of hiring extra staff members as a challenge for Catholic schools since salaries, benefits, and continued training come from tuition dollars. However, these students are usually able to be serviced in the general education classroom, which is the least restrictive environment. On the other hand, Alternate Learning Experience (ALE) students require substantial support, including specialized equipment and very different academic and social goals than their peers. They do not usually spend much time in a general education classroom due to the severity of their disabilities. I know the cost of these supports may be more expensive than the school can provide in one year, but eventually the investment would need to be made. A PLC is a perfect way to start. Allowing for collaboration time in the teachers’ workday is tricky, but possible if the staff is willing to adjust the schedule and truly help one another. Our campus schedules extra grade-level PLC time once a month, and this time occurs during the school day. Our PE coaches, music teachers, technology teachers, and library staff create a schedule where they keep our students for “double time” that day, which gives us 80 minutes of PLC time, rather than our normal 40 minute conference time. This time is protected by the administrators, and the expectation is that it is used specifically for PLC purposes. This would be a great opportunity for your teachers to start planning for special education support strategies, equipment, and scheduling.

  6. mwillis2

    Monica,
    I think you must have done a PLC before. The details of your “Action” steps are impressive, surprising, and daunting. Impressive because the great number of bullet points under that “Action” heading shows that you have predicted all the permutations of implementation. It is surprising in that you presume to include the Archdiocese as developing the resources that our Catholic schools will use. I would have thought that this would have been done already. At least, I am not aware that the Archdiocese has anything other than procedures and standards to follow. Daunting because the sheer multiplicity of minutiae in your Action column and the specificity of participants at each step are truly impressive.

  7. nacosta4

    I had no idea that Catholic schools were not legally required to abide by the IDEA law. I found that your strategies you’re trying to implement would be very beneficial to follow your school’s mission. I think it’s very important to not leave any child behind due to disabilities and can only hope that at least one if not all of the strategies will have a positive impact on keeping those students included.

  8. cbriseno4

    Monica, your paper was in detail and very interesting! I didn’t know that education for disabled students was a problem in the Catholic Education. One question that lingers in my mind is that, yes private school requires tuition cost, but with it being a private catholic school and the teachings being taught from a religious stand point, why is this even a problem when every human being should have the right to this kind of education? It baffles me that this is even an issue because like Carrie said, it is very possible to have an assistant and collaborate with them to better the child’s future as opposed to not. For it to be an issue in a private school setting I think is what shook my mind the most. This was an eye opening paper and I am very glad you shared this information with us!

  9. ataramona

    Monica,
    I appreciate the topic of your paper and the desire to rectify the problem. As we have learned throughout this program, public schools require students that are considered special ed. to be integrated into a classroom as much as possible. With this in mind, I think that parents would love the opportunity for their child to be able to attend a Catholic school as well. Catholic school education offers a spiritual level of education that could potentially make a life-changing impact within students. I like how detailed and inclusive your PLC Action Plan is; I feel like with proper persons on board and ample time, the Catholic school system could become a viable option for students with all needs.
    Good job(:

  10. jcastaneda2

    Wow, your action steps are extremely thorough! I really liked that you included a scheduled time for the PLC to work together. Sometimes, schools don’t take into consideration their staff’s time. I applaud Catholic schools who enroll students with disabilities. It shows that they want the best for the child and do their best to ensure their success, even knowing that they have limited resources.

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